Palestinian prisoner nears two-month hunger strike

A Palestinian prisoner is said to be close to death, two months after he began a hunger strike over Israel's decision to jail him without charge or trial.

More than 300 Palestinians are currently being held in what is called administrative detention, which means they can be detained for years without charge and the evidence against them can be kept secret.

Lawyers say the system makes it near impossible to mount a defence.

And if Khader Adnan dies, as expected, they are hoping it might finally force Israel to change the system.

The 33-year old was arrested in his own home near Jenin in the West Bank on December 17 and Israel's Supreme Court is preparing to review the case today.

Israel says he is a member of terrorist organisation Islamic Jihad, although it will not divulge the evidence against him, including what crime he may have committed or planned.

Mr Adnan began his hunger strike on his second day in custody, alleging he had been tortured.

Doctors say he is close to death and his family are fearing the worst.

"I ask God to end his suffering," his mother said.

"I am proud of him, but he is my son and I want him to return to us safely."

Mr Adnan is not the first Palestinian prisoner to go on a hunger strike, and he has already taken similar action during earlier periods in jail.

But his lawyers say no prisoner has gone so long without food.

Lawyer speaks out

One lawyer from the prisoner support group Addameer says if he dies, she hopes his death will bring international pressure against Israel to end its policy of administrative detention.

"This is totally illegal and contradicting the international law," Sahar Francis said.

"In the international standards you cannot use the administrative detention where you fail to charge the person and sentence him for long sentences.

"This is what Israel is doing in some of the cases of some of the administrative detainees.

"Instead of having them in administrative detention, you should bring the charges in front of the court and let the court decide."

Jonathan Livni, a former judge who served in Israel's military court system in the West Bank, says there is no doubt the military court system Israel applies in the West Bank is harsher than civilian courts.

He says that even judges are inherently biased against many Palestinian prisoners.

But Mr Livni also says there are valid reasons for imprisoning someone without charge or trial.

"The Israeli authorities do not want to divulge either the name of the witness who testified against him, because probably he's an inside member, or else there's an electronic means of getting the information which the Israeli government or the Israeli military authorities don't want to divulge," he said.

Mr Adnan's case went before a military appeals court last week, which upheld his original four-month sentence.

If he is not released, or if he dies, some Palestinians predict there will be widespread rage in Gaza and the West Bank.

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